Rockwiz stars drop into Toowoomba

IF YOU were driving down Neil St on Friday afternoon last week, you might have thought you were imagining Rockwiz stars Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis standing outside the Empire Theatre.

You weren't.

The duo was in Toowoomba finalising details ahead of the Rockwiz Live Show tour, which is coming to the Empire next month.

Julia, Brian, the RocKwiz Orchestra and crowd favourite, Dugald the Human Scoreboard, will roll back into the Garden City for a live show on Sunday, October 25.

The duo was particularly impressed by our local theatre, which not only beats the pants off most regional venues, but also fits a lot more people than RocKwiz headquarters at St Kilda's Espy (Esplanade Hotel).

"Name me one theatre in Australia that has a nice slice or some kind of cake on offer - I'm really looking forward to it, I can't deny it," Zemiro quipped as she tucked into a nice cuppa provided by the Empire crew.

Despite being impressed by the Empire's fly tower, they are pretty sure Dugald the Human Scoreboard would likely decline an offer to drop in on a fly wire with the scores (they've tried asking him before).

They said playing to a crowd of a thousand people certainly offered a thrill that was a bit harder to come by than a 300-person venue like the Espy.

Not only that, but when you take away the television cameras, it offered a sense of freedom to the performers and presenters alike, who nearly all come from a stage background.

"I think we actually get more excited to not have to worry about the cameras," Nankervis said.

"It's a bit looser and I think that helps with the improvisation.

"We don't do takes and we take more risks, and I think a performer who takes more risks is more exciting to watch."

The upcoming Toowoomba show is part of the RocKwiz Live! Salutes the ARIA Hall Of Fame tour, so you can expect plenty of questions in there about your favourite Aussie acts.